Carrier for cartons and the like



April 1, 1952 v v. L. NIELSEN 2,590,999

CARRIER FOR CARTONS AND THE LIKE' Filed Jan. 17, 1949 Y INVENTOR.

7ZZS67Z Patented Apr. 1, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT CARRIER FOR CARTONS AND THE LIKE Vandal L. Nielsen, Greenville, Mich.

Application January 17, 1949, Serial No. 71,280

9 Claims.

1 My invention relates to devices for manually carrying a plurality of articles which are awkward, unwieldy, messy and unsanitary to carry without mechanical assistance. Devices embodying my invention are especially designed and adapted for the carrying of such articles as ice cream cartons and cans, but may, of course, be employed for carrying a wide variety of other articles.

I have devised a carrier which is simple in construction, inexpensive to produce and, at the same time, rugged, convenient and generally satisfactory for the purposes inmind.

My invention will be best understood by referring to the appended drawings forming part of this specification, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view, with a part cut away for added clearness, showing a preferred embodiment of my invention, with the manipulating parts in inoperative position;

Fig. 2 is a plan-section taken substantially along the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevation in a plane at right angles to that of Fig. 1, also with parts cut away;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of the manipulating parts of the device shown in Fig. l but in operative condition; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Fig. l.

The numeral I 9 indicates a cradle for supporting articles to be carried, such as a plurality of ice cream cartons or cans. This cradle l comprises a pair of similar members, preferably bar stock or tubular, secured as by welding or the like to a central post l2, preferably tubular. .Other suitable material may be used.

Each of the cradle members comprises an element l which is roughly of triangular formation, having a pair of arms i6, [6 extending angularly from each other and in a plane perpendicular to the post i2 normally lying in a substantially horizontal plane. The arms [8 may conveniently diverge at an angle of about 45 from each other and terminate in integral arcuate end portion Hi. The end portion [8 may conveniently extend upwardly and outwardly from the horizontal arms It at an angle of approximately l35 therefrom, and while shown as a substantially circular are, it will be obvious that the end portions It may be of other suitable formation so long as they provide a satisfactory support for the articles being carried, so as to brace them against toppling over.

The post I2 is preferably of such a height that the manipulating portion attached thereto 2 and described hereinafter may be at a convenient level to be grasped by a mans hand, so that the device, when loaded and carried with the arm downwardly extended, will clear the ground by several inches.

Pivotally secured adjacent the upper end of the post l2, as by means of a bolt and nut 22, is a pair of toggle levers 23, 223. These levers are formed of relatively stiff bar stock and are twisted intermediate their ends, as seen best in Figs. 1 and 4, so that the upper portions 24 thereof lie in a vertical plane while the lower portions are perpendicular thereto, the latter terminating in arcuate finger portions 25. The upper extremities 24 of the bars 23 are pivotly connected to links 21, 21, the latter in turn being pivotly connected to a bar Jill which extends through a tubular handle portion 32.

Thus, it will be seen that the elements 23, 27 and 32 form a convenient and powerful toggle arrangement which operates as follows.

The cradle I0 is loaded symmetrically either with one 5-ga11on carton C on opposite sides of the center post l2 or with two 2 -gallon cartons on each side thereof, said cartons 0 being indicated in dotted lines in the drawings and standing vertically on the cradle [5. (Other objects, of course, may be carried.) When it is desired to transport the carrier along with the goods supported thereby, one lifts the handle 32, whereby the toggle arms 23 are moved downwardly to the position shown in Fig. 4, the fingers 25 pressing upon the upper surface of the carton C and possibly pressing into the same, inasmuch as these cartons, although of relatively stifi cardboard or the like and filled with frozen material, will ordinarily yield sufiiciently to permit the toggle arms to distort them slightly. Thus, the toggle arms tightly engage the. articles supported by the cradle and may be moved and carried by lifting bodily clearing the ground a few inches. Obviously, the cartons or other articles carried by the device are immediately released upon letting go of the handle 32.

It will be seen that I have provided a device having many advantages. The device is especially convenient for the delivery of ice cream cartons and the like from a truck to a store where the goods are to be dispensed. Ordinarily the trucker is required to carry such material in his arm or on his shoulder, and frequently sets it on the ground, which practice is not only inconvenient but results in inadvertently soiling the workers clothes and the cartons themselves. By

the use of my improved device, the deliveryman may conveniently carry such articles without spoiling the appearance of his clothes or the cartons, and, at the same time, has one arm free for the opening and closing of doors, etc. Thus, use of my invention produces more sanitary conditions in the handling of foodstuffs.

While I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention and certain preferred uses thereof, it will be readily understood that various modifications coming within the spirit of my invention and other applications thereof may readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. Hence, I do not wish to be limited except to the extent indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A carrier of the class described comprising a vertical member, a cradle carried at the lower portion thereof, and toggle lever means connected pivotally to the upper portion of said vertical member for manually carrying articles supported on said cradle, said toggle lever means comprising members engageable with downward pressure on said articles when upward force is applied to said means.

2. A carrier as defined in claim 1 wherein the cradle comprises a pair of similar skeletal members extending oppositely from said vertical member.

3. A carrier as defined in claim 1 wherein the cradle comprises pair of similar frame members each forming a base and lateral support for the articles to be carried.

4. A device as defined in claim 3 wherein each member of the cradle is approximately triangular, having a pair of legs secured to the vertical member and extending substantially horizontally therefrom and thence upwardly and outwardly to form a lateral brace for articles to be carried.

5. A carrier as defined in claim 1 wherein the toggle lever means comprises a handle and a pair of crossed members pivoted together at their horizontal handle member, and a pair of links connecting the ends of said handle member to the upper ends of said crossed levers.

8'.-A carrier as defined in claim 1 wherein the cradle comprises a pair of substantially similar triangular members formed of drawn material.

9. A carrier of the class described comprising a post, an article supporting cradle secured to the base of the post, and tonglike means pivoted to the upper portion of the post, said tonglike means providing a, carrier handle, crossed and pivotally connected levers for engagingarticles supported on the cradle when the handle is lifted, and links connecting the handle and levers.

VANDEL L. NIELSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,237,429 Westross Aug. 21, 1917 2,117,404 Curtis May 17, 1938 2,312,256 'Lumley Feb. 23, 1943 2,362,331 Weber Nov. 7, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 76,401 Sweden Oct. 30, 1930 

